Death Repeated
by twilightHDfan
Summary: Jack can't tell Ianto he loves him, no matter how many times the day repeats, no matter how many times he dies. COE fix!it fic kind of Janto. SLASH! COMPLETE.
1. Prologue

**WARNINGS – **This story was written for reel_torchwood over on LJ, using the prompt of Groundhog Day (apologies to those who are waiting for the sequel to A Different Kind of Kiss, it is coming now that I've finished this). It's **ANGSTY!** with **major deaths** throughout (but don't worry they come back), although it ends very very open. A fix!it (kind of) fic with an **ambiguous ending**.

**Author's Notes** – I never thought I'd write a real angsty fic like this, turns out I was wrong. LOL. There are quite a few deaths in this and the ending is left very open. Just thought I'd warn you guys. For those of you who read, I hope you enjoy :D. This fic is complete and has 6 chapters in total, will be posting them every few days.

Death Repeated

**Prologue**

Looking down at the young Welshman, Jack couldn't help but feel his heart breaking. He'd told himself that he and Ianto were simply … them, no title, no explanation, just Jack and Ianto.

When Ianto had started talking about people thinking they were a couple back in the hospital, which felt like a life time ago now, he had known the younger man had been trying to find out what Jack thought about their relationship.

And he'd answered without actually confirming it and then turning it back around on Ianto, by asking if it mattered.

And Ianto had done what he had always done, let it go, allowed him to change the subject, gotten back to work and Jack had been allowed to push what they were to the back of his mind.

He had thought that if he didn't put a label on what they were, that he wouldn't become attached to Ianto, that he wouldn't fall for the young Welshman.

But even avoiding it, trying to push everything to the back of his mind, hadn't worked. He … cared deeply for Ianto and now he was dying.

"No, Ianto," he said, holding Ianto in his arms, willing the other man to hang on just a little longer, trying to will away the tears that were forming, filling his eyes, Ianto becoming a blur.

"It's all my fault," he continued. If he hadn't brought Ianto here, if he hadn't given those kids over the first time, if he'd _fought_ back then, then this wouldn't be happening now. He wouldn't be losing him.

"It's not," Ianto replied, offering absolution even now, trying to stop him from blaming himself once again.

Being Jack's shoulder to lean on, even when he was dying.

"Don't speak," Jack answered, rocking him gently, trying not to let the tears fall, failing as he felt one escape. "Save your breath."

He let his hand cup Ianto's cheek, smearing blood from the small cut on it.

"I love you," Ianto said, his face crumbling, tears welling in his eyes, pain and happiness in them.

"Don't," he replied, feeling his heart break, not able to say the words back to the other man.

As he tried not to cry, Ianto went limp in his arms, his eyes closing.

"Ianto, Ianto," he whispered, giving him a gentle shake. "Ianto, stay with me. Ianto, stay with me, please. Stay with me, _please_."

Ianto's eyes opened again, hurt and longing in his eyes, the look destroying Jack's heart even further.

"Hey," Ianto said quietly. "It was good, yeah?"

"Yeah," Jack replied, glad he could tell his Welshman this much, a coldness settling into his bones, a heaviness pulling him, weighing down on his arms and legs.

"Don't forget me," Ianto whispered, tears finally falling from his eyes.

"Never could," Jack replied, shaking his head, the lump in his throat making it hard to talk.

"A thousand years time," Ianto said, eyes looking at him with sadness. "You won't remember me."

"Yes, I will," he answered, moving his arms so he could hold Ianto closer, knowing that he would never forget the man with him, the man who had waltzed in and stolen his heart. "I promise, I will."

Ianto didn't answer him, struggling for breath, going even limper in his arms, his eyes closing again.

"Ianto," he whispered, biting his lip. "Ianto, don't go. Don't leave me, please. Please don't …"

"You will die," the 456 said. "And tomorrow your people will deliver the children."

Glaring at the containment unit, Jack felt anger run through him, rushing through his blood like the poison. Leaning down, he gently kissed Ianto's lips, his thoughts becoming fuzzy, his vision going black.

A tear fell from his cheek as he fell to the floor, the darkness rushing through him, death claiming him.

His last thought was that he hoped that this time, that this time he would never wake up.

**A/N **- Let me know what you thought :D.


	2. Chapter 1

**A/N** - Huge, huge thank you to those who read, reviewed, alerted or favourited. You guys all rock :).

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**Chapter 1**

Waking up, Jack froze as he looked around, the feel of a cold wall melting into the feel of his mattress.

He was in his room, in the Hub.

Which had been destroyed three days ago.

Looking around the small space he called his room, he ran a hand shakily through his hair.

Had it all been some weird dream, telling him, letting him know that life was too short to keep people he cared about at a distance, for not letting Ianto know what he meant to him?

But it had all seemed so real, a nightmare from his past coming back to haunt him … again. Except this time he had been the monster, and there was nothing he could say or do to defend himself.

It was something that he still regretted to this day and he knew if Ianto and Gwen knew about it, they wouldn't look up to him the way they did.

Getting out of bed, he quickly threw his clothes on, quickly climbing up to his office and checking the calendar. It was Monday. Everything he'd seen hadn't happened, it was just a dream … wasn't it?

Turning around quickly, he had to stop himself from running into Ianto.

"Good morning, sir," Ianto said, holding a coffee out to him, small smile on his face.

"Ianto," Jack said quietly, taking the cup and putting it on the desk, before pulling the man closer to him, the memory of holding a dying Ianto in his arms fading away, as he pulled Ianto's warm body even closer.

"Jack?" Ianto asked, his face showing confusion and amusement.

Bringing his hand up, Jack cupped the other man's cheek, letting the warmth seep into his hand before moving forward and covering Ianto's mouth with his own.

The kiss started off gentle and chaste, a slow start, that quickly became more passionate, Jack moving Ianto back until the other man's legs hit the desk, and he sat on it, not once breaking the kiss, as Jack moved between them, moving until he was flush against Ianto again.

"Jack," Ianto said breathlessly, pulling away, and looking up at Jack in a daze. "What's going on?"

"Can't a guy just say good morning," Jack said, nipping along Ianto's jaw.

"Sure," Ianto said, a look of disbelief on his face, as he pulled away again.

"Ianto," he purred, knowing that Ianto loved that tone of voice.

"Sir," Ianto said, pushing him away and standing up, moving away. "We can continue this 'good morning' when we get back."

"Back?" Jack asked, stalking towards the other man, noticing the way Ianto was moving backwards towards the door.

"Reports of an old man, Mr. Williams, that might have picked up a hitchhiker that we should go check out," Ianto said, small smile on his face.

Jack froze, the smile that had been on his face falling, as he realized that this had been what had happened in his dream.

"Jack?" Ianto asked, moving closer to him. "Are you alright?"

"Yeah … I … nothing," he said, shaking his head. "Let's go."

Ianto gave him a confused look as he brushed past him, following him as he walked down to the SUV.

As they drove to the apartment where the old man lived, he could feel Ianto's gaze, but ignored it, trying to remember exactly what had happened in the days leading up to … the confrontation with the 456.

"Jack," Ianto said, as he pulled up to the apartment. "Are you sure you're okay?"

"I'm fine," he replied, turning and sending the other man a poor imitation of his usual grin, before opening the door and getting out.

As they made their way up to the apartment, Jack prayed that this wasn't going to be the same as his dream.

His prayers went unheard, as he pushed open the door of the apartment to see Mr. Williams lying on the floor.

"Damn," he muttered, as he walked into the apartment, already hearing the paramedics coming down the hall, just behind them, like they had in his dream.

The medics came in and attended Mr. Williams while Jack and Ianto watched on, exactly as they had in his 'dream'. Jack wondered if maybe he'd had some kind of premonition the night before, maybe from something they had come into contact with.

"Sir?"

Looking up, Jack saw that one of the paramedics was talking to them, concern on his face.

"I'm sorry," Jack said, shaking his head.

"Do you know the man?" he asked, eyes sympathetic.

"We're his neighbours," Ianto replied smoothly, covering for Jack's out of character silence.

"Well, we're taking him to Cardiff Medical," the medic said. "You can meet us there if you'd like."

Nodding, Jack moved aside, so that they could get past them, wondering if everything in his dream had been correct.

"Jack," Ianto said, moving closer to him, concern on his face again. "What's going on?"

"Nothing, we should get to the hospital," he replied curtly, knowing his tone would stop Ianto from asking again, at least for the moment.

He didn't look at Ianto's face as he turned and walked out, not sure he could handle the blank look that Ianto always had on his face when Jack hurt him.

Swallowing hard, he wondered how he had gone from the man needing to touch and kiss Ianto this morning, to the man once again pushing him away.

They made it to the hospital just after the ambulance, Ianto with nothing but a polite look on his face as the doctor, who he remembered was called Rupesh Patanjali, worked on the man.

"I'm sorry," Rupesh said coming out, face freezing as Jack glared at him, remembering that this man had started everything.

He had lured him here, had helped to put the bomb in him, had destroyed the Hub and helped Johnson and her crew to keep him captive.

"We did everything we could," he said, addressing Ianto, eyes flicking back to Jack every now and then. "But he didn't make it."

"That's very sad," Ianto said, once again filling in the silence that Jack left, Doctor Patanjali nodding.

"There'll have to be an autopsy, but I'd say his heart gave out," Rupesh said nervously.

"Brave old heart," Ianto said, shaking his head.

"You guys were his neighbours, is that right?" he asked, sending a small smile Jack's way, Jack simply raising an eyebrow at him, not noticing the sandy haired man who bumped him slightly as he went past, his name tag with Beckett, shining a little oddly, Jack ignoring it as Ianto spoke again.

"We lived next door," Ianto said, sending Jack a look that showed his confusion at Jack's attitude. "He's got no family to speak of. All on his own. We'd just keep an eye on him, y'know."

"Well, I'm sure he appreciated it. If only there were more like," Rupesh trailed off, as Jack continued to glare at him, "you two in the world."

"I know it's an imposition," Jack finally said coolly. "But with us being such good neighbours... Can we see the body?"

Rupesh looked a little uncertain, before nodding his head. Jack followed him into the room, already knowing that the doctor would agree, that he would allow them to have time alone with the old man.

"Do you think we could have some time … on our own?" Ianto asked, his tone soft and questioning, a tone that Jack had never been able to say no to, and which the doctor didn't seem able to either.

"Course you can. Just come and find me, once you're done. And I'm sorry for your loss," he said, before leaving and closing the curtain.

Jack uncovered the corpse, Ianto already setting up the equipment, nerves running through him as he remembered the conversation he'd had with Ianto in his dream.

"He thought we were together," Ianto said, exactly like he had in the dream, a small smile on his face. "Like a couple. He said, "You two." The way he said it, huh. "You two.""

"I need you to go and distract the doctor," Jack replied, avoiding the conversation, his heart beating faster as he leant over and grabbed the laser saw.

"You want me to go distract the doctor?" Ianto asked, looking confused as Jack cut into the man.

"Now, Ianto," he said, looking up at the young Welshmen, giving him a small smile as Ianto nodded and walked out of the cubicle.

This time, instead of being caught, he managed to grab the hitchhiker out and seal the man up before the doctor came back in, everything back to normal, the doctor looking around suspiciously.

"Thank you very much," he said, walking past the confused doctor, Ianto following after him.

Ianto didn't ask anything as they walked off, both of the men ignoring the doctor calling for them to stop.

"Wait," Rupesh called again, running after them. "Wait a minute."

"You're Torchwood?" he asked, having caught up to them at the SUV, exactly like he had before.

Turning, Jack grabbed the man, pushing him against the SUV, scowl on his face as he glared at the man.

"You listen to me," he growled, hands fisted into the man's shirt as he held him. "I know who you are, you sniveling, little creep. I know who you work for and newsflash, they kill you too!"

Rupesh stared at him in shock, shaking his head in denial.

"I don't know what you're talking about," he said.

"Right," Jack said. "So you weren't about to tell me about missing bodies, huh? Weren't going to use it to lure me back here? And then call your boss, and have her shove a bomb inside of me?"

Rupesh swallowed hard, eyes showing his fear, as he opened and closed his mouth.

"Get out of here, I don't want to ever see you again," Jack growled, pulling the man away from the car and pushing him back to the hospital.

"And tell your boss it's too late," he added. "I already know the 456 is back. And I'm going to stop it. So stay out of my way."

Rupesh ran off towards the hospital, not once looking back.

When he turned he saw Ianto glaring at the other man, before looking back at him.

"Jack, what's going on?" he asked, steel in his voice that told Jack he wasn't going to let it go with any deflection this time.

"I'll explain it when we get back to the Hub," Jack replied, hopping into the car, watching as Ianto moved and got in the other side.

"I'll hold you to that," he said, pulling his seat belt on.

Driving back to the Hub, Jack felt his heart pounding. His dream was becoming reality, which meant the 456 was really back, the regret and shame he felt flooding him as he remembered the children he had helped give over to them.

If they stopped the 456 before it even got to Earth, stopped them building that room, then maybe he could buy Earth a little more time, time enough to contact Martha, maybe to contact the Doctor.

He didn't even see the Hummer until it hit his side of the car, hitting them so hard that it sent them spinning, Jack trying his hardest to keep control of the SUV, any chance he had gone when they were hit by another vehicle, the hit sending them over, rolling, once, twice, losing count of the number of times they rolled, before coming to a stop upside down.

Groaning, Jack spat out a mouth full of blood, realizing he had hit the steering wheel when they had rolled, the smell of gasoline filling his nose, and he knew they had to get out soon, before the SUV caught on fire.

Looking over at Ianto, he felt his heart stutter at the unconscious face, a part of him panicking, as one of his hands found his seat belt, letting the latch go, making him groan again as he collapsed onto his shoulder.

"Ianto," he called, his voice coming out raspy, as his hand reached out and feeling Ianto's neck.

He stopped breathing when his fingers found nothing.

There was no pulse.

Nothing.

Ianto's skin already starting to cool, to lose colour, as death claimed him.

"Ianto," he called again, his heart starting to speed up as he crawled over to the other man, catching him as he undid the seat belt.

"Ianto," he whispered, voice catching, as tears filled his eyes.

_This wasn't supposed to happen_, he thought.

But then, he hadn't confronted Rupesh in his dream, had thought the man would make a fine addition to the team.

Rupesh must have rung Johnson.

"Ianto, please," he whispered again, cradling the man's head in his lap, the sound of footsteps not registering, as he looked down at the Welshmen's face, his heart breaking again, like it had last night.

And once again, it had been his fault, if he hadn't said anything, had waited until he was alone to confront Rupesh, then this wouldn't be happening.

The last thing he heard was a match being struck, cruel laughter floating on the wind, before a white light took him into the darkness that had become a part of his everyday life.

Death.

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**A/N** - As always let me know what you thought :).


	3. Chapter 2

**A/N** - Huge thank you to those who read, alerted and favourited. An especially big thank you to those who reviewed. You guys all rock :D.

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**Chapter 2**

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Jack gasped as he woke up.

Freezing as he looked around, it took him a few seconds to realize where he was.

At first he'd thought it was some kind of cell, metal walls all around, feeling like he was chained to the wall.

As he took another breath, he realized that it must have been a part of his dream.

He was in his room.

In the Hub.

Again.

Getting up, he quickly got dressed, racing up to his office and looking around.

Johnson wouldn't have brought him back here.

She would have taken him to the cell, like last time, and encased him in cement.

So had he just dreamed the two dreams, or was the day repeating itself for some reason?

"Good morning, sir," Ianto said, coming into the office, holding a cup of coffee out to him, small smile on his face.

Staring, Jack felt his breath leave him, his heart racing as he took in his living, breathing, Welshman.

"Ianto," he whispered, moving forward, taking the cup and putting it on the desk, his hands coming up to frame his face, drinking in the sight of the other man.

"Jack?" Ianto asked, face a picture of confusion.

Pulling the man closer to him, Jack wrapped his arms around him, breathing in his unique scent.

"What's wrong, Jack?" Ianto asked, pulling back a little, worry and concern on his face.

"Nothing," he replied, not wanting to tell Ianto about his past two … dreams. Just wanting to hold the other man. "I just want … just wanted to give you a hug and this."

He leant forward and kissed Ianto, nothing gentle or chaste about the kiss, Jack devouring Ianto's mouth, tongue plundering and exploring Ianto's heat. He pulled Ianto closer, swallowing the groan Ianto gave as he started to slowly grind against him.

"Jack," Ianto gasped as he pulled back. "Not that I mind that good morning, but we have work we have to do."

"No work," Jack said, shaking his head, moving Ianto until he had his back against the wall. "Not today."

Ianto frowned at him, eyes clearing of lust and desire, and instead filling with worry and concern, before Jack leant in, taking his mouth in a another passionate kiss, as his hands slowly pulled his shirt out of his pants, needing to distract Ianto, so that they didn't go to the hospital.

If they didn't go to the hospital, then Johnson and her team wouldn't be able to come after them there and they would be able to go after the building where they were housing the room for the 456, destroy it before the alien came down, buy them some time for Jack to figure out what to do.

They could always go and retcon the people that saw the hitchhiker, not like they hadn't done it before.

"Jack," Ianto groaned, head leaning back against the wall, a sign Jack knew meant that Ianto wasn't about to stop him again.

"Let me take care of you, Ianto," Jack whispered, not missing the way Ianto's eyes widened at the tenderness of the words, needing Ianto to know he cared about him, even if he didn't want to talk about their … relationship.

He kissed along Ianto's jaw, his hands unbuckling Ianto's belt, unbuttoning and unzipping his pants, pushing them and his boxers down in one swoop and going to his knees.

"Damn, Jack," Ianto muttered, his hands running through Jack's hair, as Jack licked a long stripe up Ianto's already hard cock, taking the head into his mouth and sucking it, before taking it all into his mouth.

Groaning around Ianto's erection, his hands moved up to hold Ianto's hips, his head moving in a steady rhythm, sucking and swirling his tongue as his head bobbed up and down.

Ianto's breathing had increased, groans and whimpers leaving him as Jack worked on him.

"Jack … close," he muttered.

Looking up, Jack could see that he was biting his lip, his hips thrusting a little as his breathing became ragged.

"So close, Jack," he said, head resting back against the wall, eyes closed.

Smiling around the cock in his mouth, Jack let one of his hands move from the hip it was holding, trailing past Ianto's balls and circling the area behind, pushing in slightly, the extra stimuli sending Ianto over the edge, the young man coming with a short gasp of Jack's name.

Smiling as he moved back up Ianto's body, Jack kissed his mouth gently, taking his time to explore, hands running soothingly up and down Ianto's flanks.

"Anyone in?"

Resting his head against Ianto's, Jack gave a small groan, looking down at his bulging pants regretfully, as he heard Gwen moving around down in the main Hub.

"You two having shenanigans in the dark? … Jack?"

Ianto gave a small chuckle, leaning forward and kissing him gently, before he pushed him away.

"Later," he whispered, winking at him as he quickly tidied himself up, before he strode out of the office.

Jack watched him go, the image of him dying again slowly fading from his mind.

Yesterday, he had thought that he had had some premonition, and had gone with his gut instincts, now; he was thinking that he was living the day over, having a chance to save the person he … cared about.

He knew that he had to find out why, but between finding out why he was reliving the day over and stopping the 456, he had to pick stopping the 456. He had let the monster go before, and that was what the alien was, a monster who took kids and did who knew what to them.

He couldn't live with himself if he didn't stop it this time.

Walking out of the room, he walked slowly down the steps to the main floor of the Hub, smiling as he took in Ianto and Gwen looking at something on Gwen's computer screen.

"Jack, you have to look at this," she said, looking over at him briefly before looking back at the computer screen.

"I know all about it, Gwen," he said, stopping behind them. "And I'm going to stop them."

"Stop who?" Gwen asked.

"Jack, there's still the hitch-hiker," Ianto said at the same time, the two giving each other a grin as they spoke together.

"You two go to the hospital," Jack replied, pulling on his coat. "Don't trust the doctor there, Dr. Rupesh Pantanjali, he works for the government. Get in and out as quickly as you can. If he talks to you let him, but don't tell him anything."

"Jack, what's going on?" Gwen asked her eyes full of worry.

His breath caught as a part of his first dream came back to him.

Gwen was pregnant.

He couldn't help but smile at her, shaking his head.

"I'll explain everything when I get back," he said, already moving towards the door. "And congratulations, Gwen."

Chuckling at her confused face, he strode out of the Hub, knowing exactly where he needed to go to take care of the building.

Looking up at the building, Jack couldn't help but feel repulsed at the thought that the government was going to, in the future, give in to the alien. He couldn't believe that they would do that to the families and children of Earth.

Shifting the bag he had on his shoulder, he slowly moved over to the building, walking in through the doors and trying to blend in.

Being Captain Jack Harkness, this wasn't an easy task. He cursed himself for wearing his coat. People always noticed the coat.

Smiling at the women who were getting out of the elevator, he jumped on; pressing the button for the floor the 456 containment room would be built. Stepping off the elevator, he ducked into the first room he saw, quickly moving to pull the fire alarm.

Watching the builders ran past, all of them quickly disappearing down the stairs, he moved into the room.

He couldn't help but freeze when he saw the room, the memory of the last time he was here, holding a dying Ianto in his arms, flashing before his eyes. Taking a steadying breath, he quickly set up the detonators, hoping that he was right in the amount it would take to destroy the room and only the room.

If he was wrong …

He shook his head.

He wasn't wrong, he couldn't afford to be.

Moving quickly down the stairs, he made it to the foyer when he heard the sirens, pulling the detonator out of his pocket and pressing the button, as he ran outside.

At first nothing seemed to happen and then he heard a low rumble, a smile crossing his face as he saw signs of an explosion coming from the floor where he had set the charges.

Walking down the street, he couldn't help but whistle a little, pulling his cell phone out as it rang, smile widening as he saw Ianto's number.

"Ianto, how did the issue with the hitch-hiker go?" he asked voice jovial.

"Mr. Jones is currently indisposed, Captain."

Freezing in the street, he ignored the person who cursed as they ran into him, eyes narrowing as he recognized the voice.

"What do you want, Johnson?" he snarled, not missing the quick indrawn breath of the woman on the other end.

"We need to talk, face to face," she said, recovering quickly from her surprise.

"If you do anything to him," he started to threaten, only to be cut off by the woman.

"Warehouse 36, Old Steel Road, I'm sure you know the place," she said before hanging up.

Gripping the phone tightly, he reminded himself that he had brought them more time, and that he would deal with Johnson and her cronies.

It didn't take him long to make it to the warehouse, getting out of the SUV, he moved slowly to the door, entering it and stopping, as he saw Ianto sitting tied to a chair.

"This would have been so much easier if you'd just left well enough alone, Harkness," Johnson said, standing next to Ianto, her gun pointed at the young Welshman's head.

Walking further in, Jack noticed the men stationed around the place, all with their guns trained on him.

"You know me," he replied, cocky grin crossing his face. "I like to make things difficult for you guys."

As he looked around, he wondered where Gwen was, hoped that she was okay, that she was somewhere safe.

"You're going to come with us, Harkness," Johnson said, pushing her gun harder into Ianto's head as Jack took another step forward.

"Okay," he agreed. "Just let him go."

"I don't think so," Johnson replied, smug smile on her face. "I think Mr. Jones can help us keep you in line."

Holding his hands up, Jack looked around, stopping himself from looking back when he saw a familiar woman standing in the rafters, a familiar man standing on the ground floor not too far away.

"I'm going to co-operate," Jack said, moving his hands in a calming action.

He made his move when he was only a couple of steps away from the other woman, diving and pushing her hand away from Ianto as it fired.

Gwen and Rhys moved almost at the same time as he did, both of them taking care of the operatives around the warehouse, neutralizing them quickly, and stopping the gunfire quickly.

The last solider they took down, a sandy haired man, had a strange smile on his face, eyes shining in triumph at Jack before he was knocked out. Shaking his head, Jack looked closely at the man's face, not recognizing him.

Taking a deep breath, he could feel that he'd been shot, but couldn't help but turn and grin at Ianto, the grin sliding off his face as he saw the pain on the young man's face.

"Ianto," he breathed, kneeling down next to him, eyes going wide as he took in the two bullet wounds, one in his chest, the other in his abdomen.

"Ianto," he said again, quickly untying him and lying him on the floor, pushing on the wounds.

His vision was slowly going black, his own wound dragging the life from him, but he tried to push it away.

"You're going to be okay," he muttered, pushing on the wounds, seeing Gwen's hands move his away and taking over pushing on the wounds.

He moved away as Gwen and Rhys took care of the wounds, cradling Ianto's head in his lap, not able to ignore the unnatural paleness of the other man's face, the noisy way he was breathing, eyes opening and closing slowly.

"Ianto," he whispered, pain running through him, as he struggled for his own breath.

"Jack," Ianto whispered, looking up at him. "Lov' 'ou."

Tears fell down Jack's face as he leant forward and kissed the man's lips gently, darkness crowding his vision as he heard Ianto take his last breath.

Ianto's peaceful face was the last thing he saw, before he fell into the darkness, a cruel laugh the last thing he heard again.

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**A/N **- As always let me know what you thouht :)


	4. Chapter 3

**A/N** - Sorry about the late update. Exams and case reports got in the way. But on holidays so yay!.

**A/N 2** - Huge thanks to those who reviewed. You guys rock. Also big thanks to those who read, alerted and favourited. You guys are awesome too :).

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**Chapter 3**

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Jack bolted up in bed, tears running down his face, the feel of Ianto's head in his lap, the warmth from it, still there, pulling his hands he froze as he felt them jolt to a stop, a faint outline of a chain attached to the metal wall behind him.

Blinking, the image disappeared, Jack pulling his hands out in front of him and looking at them, before scrubbing a hand over his face. Jumping out of bed, he quickly dressed, moving quickly up the ladder to his office and through it down into the main Hub.

"Jac-mmph?" Ianto started to ask, Jack cutting him off, kissing him soundly, and pulling him closer.

He couldn't help but pull Ianto's head closer, hands running through his hair, nipping at Ianto's bottom lip as he pulled back slowly.

"Not that I'm complaining about that good morning," Ianto murmured, eyes slightly glazed over. "But is there any particular reason for it?"

"Just needed to remind myself that you're really here," Jack replied, hands' running down Ianto's back.

Taking a deep breath, Jack pulled away, not missing the confused look that Ianto was sending him.

"Jack, is everything okay?" Ianto asked.

"Fine," he replied, somehow dredging up a fake smile. "Why don't we go out for breakfast?"

Ianto's look turned even more confused, even as a small smile pulled at his mouth.

"I would love to, but we have-"

Jack quieted his protest with another kiss, pulling back and heading over to grab his coat.

"I know," Jack said. "But we'll deal with the hitch-hiker later."

Grabbing Ianto's hand he gently pulled the other man along, knowing that he would be confused, but wanting to have a normal breakfast with his … Ianto.

"Jack," Ianto started again, as they went up in the elevator.

"Please, Ianto," Jack murmured quietly. "Just … let's just go to breakfast. _Please_."

He couldn't see Ianto's face, but he knew that the other man had agreed when he felt his hand taken and squeezed, Ianto falling quiet.

It didn't take them long to get to Jack's favourite café, to order their food and settle in. Looking over at the young Welshmen, Jack wondered what he'd done to get so lucky.

"Jack, I left my phone in the car, I'll be back in a moment," Ianto said, giving him a small peck on the lips before heading outside.

Leaning back in his chair, Jack let the sunshine coming through the window warm his face. This was the third day he seemed to have repeated, every day ending with him dying, with Ianto dying.

Closing his eyes, he tried to figure out what was going on. In all of his travels, he'd never seen anyone manipulate time like this, rewinding a day, over and over. The only person he could think of that would be capable of doing it was the Doctor, and the eccentric Time Lord wouldn't be involved in something like this, in rewinding time like it had been.

So how was time being rewound? Was there some artifact that he'd missed, was it somehow connected with the 456?

His thoughts were stopped when he heard a commotion outside, a screeching noise, followed by gasps and cries.

Jack felt his heart freeze, his breath stopping in his chest.

_No._

_No, no, no,_ he thought.

He wasn't anywhere near the hospital, wasn't anywhere near Johnson or the 456.

This couldn't be happening.

Getting out of his chair, he ran outside, willing for the scene in front of him not to be what he thought.

"Please," he whispered, pushing his way to the front of the crowd.

"… pushed that young girl out of the way," a woman said, as his eyes fell on a familiar form.

"Please, no," he whispered, falling to his knees, trying to ignore the blood pooling underneath his Ianto.

"Ianto," he gasped, cradling his head, tears forming in his eyes.

"Jack?" Ianto whispered, eyes opening.

"Don't speak, the medics are on their way," he said, hoping that someone had called them.

"I … love you," Ianto whispered, struggling to take a breath.

Jack leant closer, still unable to say the words, heart breaking as he saw the same look of hurt and longing enter Ianto's eyes as it had before.

He felt Ianto go limp, a last rattly breath leaving him, as his eyes closed.

"Ianto," he whispered, biting his lip. "Ianto, don't go. Don't leave me, please. _Please._ Please don't go."

But his words weren't heard, the young Welshman dead in his arms … again. He was surprised when darkness started to edge his vision, a sharp pain entering his head, the thought of why he was dying running through his head.

As he looked up, he recognized one of the men standing off to the side, the solider from the day before, standing there, staring and smiling at him, his badge with the name Beckett shining, laughter coming from him as Jack fell into the darkness.

8

**A/N** - As always let me know what you thought :).


	5. Chapter 4

**A/N** - Huge thank you to those who reviewed. You guys rock. Also thank you to those who alerted, favourited and read. You guys also rock :D.

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**Chapter 4**

8**  
**

This time when he woke, Jack noticed the metal roof above him, nothing like the roof in his room at the Hub. Taking a steadying breath, he lifted one of his hands to run over his face, only to be brought up short when he noticed that it was weighed down by chains attached to the wall.

Blinking, he felt his heart start to race, as the image dissolved, his room coming back into focus, the other images fading away.

Lying in bed, his mind tried to piece it all together, but came up with nothing.

There was something, niggling at the back of his mind, but no matter how hard he tried to figure out what it was, nothing came to him.

Sighing, he rolled out of bed, slowly dressing and making his way up to his office.

He wasn't surprised to see Ianto there, already tidying up his desk and putting papers he needed to see to on the top of the pile, hot coffee on his desk.

"Good morning, Sir," Ianto said, smile on his face fading as he looked up.

"Jack?" Ianto asked, moving over towards him, starting to reach out and then stopping himself.

"You need to go home, Ianto," Jack said, turning away from his young Welshman and moving to sit behind his desk.

"What?" Ianto asked, one eyebrow rising in question.

"Home, Ianto," Jack answered, dropping his voice to the cool tone he used with government officials.

"And why do I have to 'go home'?" Ianto asked, crossing his arms over his chest.

_Because it isn't safe for you with me_, Jack thought.

But he couldn't say that, if he did Ianto would argue, would stick around. No … the only way Ianto would leave would be if he was hurt.

Looking away briefly, Jack had to swallow the lump in his throat, steeling himself to do what was best for the other man.

"I don't require your assistance today," Jack said, voice still cool, hands fisted underneath the table where Ianto couldn't see them.

"What's this about, Jack?" Ianto asked, voice conveying that he wasn't buying the act.

"I think that we're … you want different things then I do, have come to expect more from this … arrangement then I'm willing to give," Jack said, the words pulled from him, seeing the flash of confusion and hurt the crossed Ianto's face.

"I don't know what you're talking about," Ianto said, his voice slightly more strained then before.

"This … was never a serious thing for me, Ianto," Jack lied, none of the turmoil brewing inside of him making its way to the surface. He always had been good at hiding what he really felt.

And right now, he was both glad and saddened by it. Glad because he needed it to make Ianto leave, and saddened, because he didn't want to hurt the beautiful man in front of him anymore then he had.

"More like a … friend's with benefits thing," he continued. "I thought you understood that."

Ianto let his arms drop, the blank look that Jack hated falling over his face, as he nodded once, not dropping his eyes from Jack once.

"So you should take some time," Jack said, tongue sweeping out to wet his lips.

"Very well, sir," Ianto replied, nothing in his face or tone but polite enquiry.

"I'll see you next week," Jack said, nerves running through him.

Ianto gave him one nod, before turning and walking out of his office. Leaning back in his chair, Jack tried to stop the ache that ran through his chest as he watched Ianto leaving via the CCTV.

It would all be worth it if it kept Ianto safe.

If Ianto was away from Torchwood, away from Jack, he would be safe.

Even if he was tearing Jack's heart apart when he left.

Closing his eyes, Jack didn't realize he'd fallen asleep until he heard Gwen calling out to him, his arms heavy as he rubbed at his face, the feeling of something around his wrists distracting him for a moment, before Gwen came into his office. The thought pushed to the back of his mind.

"Jack?" Gwen called.

Moving around his desk, his mind flashed back to his day before, to the solider standing there, the name Beckett standing out in his mind, remembering that he'd seen the man before, in the hospital, at the car crash.

The man knew something, was involved with the day's repeating.

He needed to find him.

"Oh, you are here," Gwen said, as he quickly moved down the stairs.

"We need to find someone," he said in greeting, moving over to the computer and starting the search.

"We have bigger-"

"No we don't," he interrupted, growling when the search came up with over a thousand hits.

Pulling up a chair, he refined the search to soldiers, still annoyed when there was over two hundred hits.

It took him half an hour to cut the suspects down, even longer to go through their pictures.

"Got you," he muttered, printing out the address.

"Jack, what's going on?" Gwen asked, looking up from the search she had been conducting.

"Stay here," he ordered, grabbing his coat and heading towards the door. "And congratulations."

Smiling, he knew his parting comment would have her confused long enough for him to get to the SUV and go.

8

Pulling up to the house, Jack could tell that it was unoccupied even before he hopped out.

Staring up at the house, he slowly moved forwards, his gut telling him that this was the right place.

Opening the door, he walked cautiously into the house, gun drawn, noticing the dust and disarray, Beckett sitting on a chair, looking at him with an amused look on his face.

"I was wondering if you would figure it out this time, Jack," he said, finger rubbing along the bottom of his lip.

"Who are you?" Jack asked, looking around, not sensing anyone else around.

"So … not figured it all out then," Beckett replied, leaning back in the chair, not looking worried in the least.

"Who are you?" Jack growled, pointing the gun at the man and walking further into the room.

"I'm sure you could figure it out, Jack," Beckett said, shrugging a shoulder and looking at the gun with nothing but idle interest. "Deep down, you know it already, you've seen it already, that split second before you're fully awake, you see exactly where you are, what's happening."

"It never happened," Jack replied, swallowing hard, a pit forming in his stomach as his mind supplied him with the answer, the answer that he didn't want to think about. "We stopped it."

"Ah, yes," Beckett said standing up, grin on his face as he slowly paced towards him. "You, Miss Jones and the Doctor. I let you see that, Jack. I let you believe it, another way to mess with your mind."

Shaking his head, Jack flinched when the man raised a hand, running it down his cheek.

"And it's been fun," he whispered, eyes shining with malice. "But it's time to wake up."

"Jack!"

Turning, Jack froze as he saw Gwen and Ianto run in, the two of them with their guns raised, eyes wide.

"Not before one last hit though," Beckett murmured, hand quickly raising a gun and firing.

Jack watched as Ianto's eyes fell down, his own running down the man's chest coming to rest on the spreading red.

"Ianto," Jack whispered, pain ripping through his chest as his young Welshman fell to the floor, Gwen dropping next to him.

Feeling his vision narrow, Jack forgot about the man behind him, every sense on the man gasping for breath in front of him.

"No, Ianto, please," he said, rushing over and kneeling next to him, hands cradling his head. "Don't … just … please."

"Jack," Ianto whispered, eyes already losing focus. "I-"

"Don't," Jack said cutting him off, tears welling in his eyes. "Just … I know, Ianto. You … you have to know that I … I … feel the same way …"

His words were cut off as a sharp lance of pain ran through his head. Ignoring it, he cupped Ianto's cheek, feeling him go limp, the colour leaving his face.

"Ianto," he whispered, leaning down and pressing a gentle kiss to the mouth he knew so well, the darkness clouding his vision, pulling him down, the sound of Beckett's laughter the last thing he heard as he fell.

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**A/N** - As always let me know what you thought :D.


	6. Epilogue

**A/N** - Huge thanks to those who reviewed. You guys make my day. Also big thanks to those who read, alerted and favourited. You guys rock.

**A/N 2** - Like I said at the start the end is very ambiguous and is left very open. I hope you enjoy though.

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**Epilogue  
**

8**  
**

Waking up, Jack wasn't that surprised when instead of his room in the Hub; he came face to face with the Master. The images he'd seen had slowly filtered into his mind, bringing back memories of his time on the Valiant.

"How did you like your future, Jack?" he asked, voice whisper quite.

Jack could feel the tears running own his face, his heart breaking as he realized that it had all been a dream, something the Master had created to torture him.

"It took me awhile," the Master continued, moving away from where he was chained to the wall. "I thought having the woman, Gwen, marry someone else would break you, that when you lost the two members of your team, and all because of your old partner and brother, that that would break you. But you managed to keep going … and then I figured it out, the thing that was keeping you strong, was _him_."

Jack swallowed, trying to wipe the memories of the ways Ianto had died from his mind, tried to focus on the here and now, on Martha, on the Doctor, on the Master.

"You had everyone fooled, Jack," the Master whispered, having moved closer to him again. "Including me. Until the first time … in the hospital … when you denied him. It was then that I realized that he was what kept you from falling apart."

Looking up into the face, Jack tried to feel angry, but he couldn't wipe away the emptiness he felt, the feeling of failure that he had been unable to save Ianto, time and time again.

"And then I knew what I would do to punish you," the Master said, cupping his cheek, a look of disgust on his face. "Watching the young man die over and over and over. And now, you're going to see it for the final time."

Jack swallowed and glared at the face, wondering what the Master was talking about.

"Your team was very good, Jack," the Master said. "It took us months to find them, three of them, I should say, but your young boy, he just seemed to disappear."

The Master walked over to a control, a computer screen turning on, before he turned back, a smirk on his face.

"But we finally found him."

Jack stared at the screen, recognizing Ianto the second that the other man came into view, and by the looks of it, the Master knew too.

"You should know by now, Jack," the Master said. "Everyone you love is worse off because of it. And now, you're going to see him die for the last time, here, right in front of you, by my hand."

Jack felt his eyes burn as he tried to stop the tears, biting his lip to stop the scream he wanted to give, not wanting to give the Time Lord the satisfaction.

"I'll be back," the Master said, leaving the screen on as he left.

Staring at the screen, Jack saw the soldiers moving in, could see that Ianto had seen them, and was trying to get away.

Tears fell from his eyes, as he saw the soldiers take Ianto down, saw the young man struggle, saw them knock him out.

"Ianto," he whispered, knowing that he had to do something, do something now.

Looking around, he smiled when he saw the small piece of metal on the floor next to him.

The Master had finally made a mistake.

Jack still couldn't believe that they'd managed to stop the Master, managed to turn back time, and set things back to right. Well, as right as the planet got. He'd smiled when the Doctor had offered to take him for a ride in the Tardis, simply hugged his friend and shook his head.

He was home now, and he didn't need to find the Doctor anymore. He knew he'd see him again, but he wouldn't be running after the eccentric Time Lord.

Walking into the house, he froze as he saw his team standing with their guns drawn on the blowfish. Tosh still alive, Owen still alive, Gwen and Ianto not weighed down with the death of the other two. Ianto standing there, with his gun drawn, trying to pick up Jack's slack like he always did.

Except this time it was real, no Master to turn back time, no second chances.

Pulling his gun out, he took the shot, pushing all the hurt and emptiness to the back of his mind, he managed to bring a cocky grin to his face.

"Hey, kids, did you miss me?"

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**END**


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